Dental apparatus



C. ZORZI DENTAL APPARATUS Jan. 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 19,1962 L2 2 INVENTOR Carla Z 01-4,-

C. ZORZI DENTAL APPARATUS Jan. 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 191962 INVENTOR /G 20/22) United States Patent Ofifice H 3,164,153Patented Jan. 5, 1965 3,164,153 DENTAL APPARATUS Carlo Zorzi, 6 ViaCandoglia, Milan, Italy Filed Sept. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 224,718 Claimspriority, application Italy, Sept. 20, 1%1,

16,981/61 Claims. (Cl. 128224) This invention relates to improvements indental apparatus and has for its objects to provide an improvedapparatus wherein two tubular needles joined at one end, arranged andshaped to be located and operated into a tooth cavity, may be associatedwith a first chamber adapted to contain a medicinal liquid and with asecond chamber adapted to be connected to'a source of vacuum and tocollect liquid and matter drawn from said tooth cavity, in particularfor dental treatments preparatory to its ejection and respectivelydrawing circuits, and as its washing, cleaning and asepsis is somewhatdifficult.

Therefore, this invention has for one of its objects to provide a newand improved dental apparatus of said type, which is adapted tobe'connected to a solesource of pressurized air, namely to the sourceincluded in substantially any dentists standard equipmenh'and to be usedas a regular implement of such equipment, and

' which is provided with and has integrally formed t hereinto apressurized air activated source of vacuum;

It is another object of this invention to; provide an improved apparatuswherein the second chamber maybe readily detached from theremainingcomponents of the apparatus for proper and thorough-drainageand asepis of the interior thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatuswhich is of the type referred'to above, of simple and practicalconstruction and capable to provide long service while withstanding themost severe abuse.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new andimproved apparatus including means adapted for'ejecting medicinal liquideither in liquid or in finely divided or atomized form, into a currentof air, upon 7 operator control and action.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new activated circuit,and which may be advantageously provided with operator controlled meansadapted for controllably deactivating either the said ejecting orthe'said suction circuit, for full drying of the tooth cavity; or forflooding same with a medicinal liquid.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are in part obvious and inpart will be made apparent as this description proceeds, and thefeatures which arje1'consuction circuits;

FIG. 2 illustrates at an enlarged scale the details of a first form ofembodiment of the apparatus, shown in longitudinal section on the line22 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows the upper portion of same apparatus in a transverse sectionalong the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the apparatus of FIG. 2, having part ofits components fragmentarily shown;

FIG. 5 is partly a plan view from above and partly a sectional'viewtaken along the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but showing amodified embodiment of the invention, including means for deactivatingany of its ejection and FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view alongthe line 77 of FIG. 6, showingan embodiment of the invention, whereinmeans adapted forejection of medicinal liquid in sprayed form areincluded; and

- FIG.- 8 illustrates, at an enlarged scale and in horizontal sectionalview along the line 88 of FIG. 7, a detail of said latter means.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike parts and elements throughout the several figures, and wherein someminor purely structural details had been omitted, as such detailsappertain to current knowledge of the art:..

In the side views of FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of tubular "needles aregenerally indicated at 10, and the tubular the manner in 'whichthe firstand second needles are connected to a first and toa second tubular brace11' and 11",

respectively, appertaining to the ejection and respectively to thesuction circuit, as described below.

7 The tubular needles (substantially of the type of conmeans ofconventional standard shaped and sized conetype couplings, generallyindicated at 30 in FIGS. 1 and 2. Preferably, such couplings, singlyshown at 30', 30"

and improved apparatus of the type considered, including an ejectingpressure activated circuit and a suction vacuum sidered as new andcharacteristic will be set forth in the appended claims. Theabove andother objects will however be best understood from the followingdetailed description when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the inventive idea,and which form an essential component of this disclosure. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved apdental treatment;

in FIG. 5, include a first and respectively a second coupling ofdiffering size, so that erroneous fitting of the needles to thecorrelated braces'll and '11", respectively, is prevented.

According to the art, the fore free end portions of the needles areclosely adjacent and connected to each other, by welding, for'example,and suitably curved for proper simultaneous introduction into a toothcavity, as shown in FIG. '1, for example. *For proper use of the device,

the apparatus will be accompanied by a plurality of replaceable' pairsof needles,'diiferingly sized and shaped, in particular of differinglengths and partly: down-turned (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) and partlylip-turned, for treatment of lower and respectively of upper teeth.

7, The said ejection and suction circuitsinclude the interior 25 of afirst upper chamber 12 andrespectively the interior 31 of a second lowerchamber 13, and are both I iactivated by pressurized air fed indirection C, through 'a flexible tube or pipe 14 (FIG. 1) connected toahandle 15 including valve means which may be operator controlled bypressing on a control lever 16, for example, and having ajcoupling 17adapted for detachably engaging with a male coupling member such asillustrated at 13 in FIG. 2. The said parts 14 to 17 inclusive embodythe free endportion of a supply of pressurized air, which is a standardequipment of anydentists office. Such parts shall be thereforenotjfurther described in detail, provided that the apparatus is providedwith a coupling meminto a head portion 23 of the apparatus.

holes to not disturb therpatient.

gaskets 49 and 50 being her 18 sized and shaped to mate with thestandard coupling17 of the supply means at disposal. Owing that severaltypes of dentists implements are in actual use, the said coupling 18 ofthe apparatus is preferably integrally formed at the free end' of atubular brace 19 the opposite end portion 21 (FIG. 4) of which isthreaded for screw connection within a threaded bore 22 providedTherefore, the apparatus of the invention may be cheaply and readilyadapted for application to and to be supplied by differing supply meanson trade, by providing same apparatus with a component 19 shaped andprovided with a coupling member 18 fitting to the pressurized air supplymeans at disposal.

The apparatus of the invention is therefore, according to an importantand advantageous feature of the invention, adapted to be operated as astandard dentists implement, and it might be activated by a sole supplyof pressurized air, available in any dentists 'oflice. In addition,

as shown for example in FIG. 1, the apparatus is operated by the dentistwho grips the handle and acts on control 16 for handling and controllingsame apparatus, and causing its activation and deactivation, as anydentist is accustomed and trained in making use of any pressurized airfed implement.

l I The said bore 22, wherein the pressurized-air is sup- 7 pressureretainingplug 55, 'Within saidfirst chamber 12 a nearly vertical ,duct27is located, said ducthaving its inlet opening near the bottom of saidchamber and being secured at its upper portion 28, by screw engagementfor example, in the said head portion 23, communicating with a passage29 (FIGS. 3 and 5) wherein the'end portion of tubular brace 11,designedto support and feed the ejection needle secured.

The pressurizeduair fedinto the said interiorZS of first chamber 12,above the liquid 26, through passages 19, 22

10', is forcedlyor screw-fitted and and 24, therefore applies a pressureto, said liquid which in a portion 40 located outside saidhead portion23. A

cap 41 overlapping said holes 39 is advantageously provided forrearwardly directing the air flowing from said V Said space 37communicateswith-the interior 31 of the second chamber 13,

preferably ;through a second vertical .duct 42 having itsaxiallylocatedin said first chamber 12, having an en- .larg edi head ,47at its lower end'portion, adapted to abut [in ,a central recess 46.(FIG. 4) provided in a member 45 located between said first and secondchambers 12 and 13, respectively. 'The said-first chamber side wall anda part of its bottom wall are formed by'a perforated cup I 7 member oftransparent material, preferably of glass, and

such member is secured. into the apparatus by being tightlyjsequeezedbetween the co axially and oppositely arrangedhead portion '23 andmember 45, annular l 'havi ng a threading Slat it's'upper open edgeportion, matprovided' for sealing the said 4 ing with an inner threading52 formed into an annular lower extension integral with said member 45.Such second chamber may he therefore readily detached from theapparatus, by un-screwing same from member 45, for removal of liquid andmatters sucked thereinto, and for cleaning and sterilizing thereof. Uponremoval of said chamber 13, the duct forming tubular rod 42 may be atits turn un-screwed from head portion 23, so that the apparatus may bereadily disassembled from time to time for proper and throughoutcleaning of its components.

The system including said nozzle 36, space 37 and duct 38 constitutes asource of vacuum, when said nozzle is supplied with pressurized air orother gaseous medium, and the said source is connected with said secondchamber 13 by said duct 42. Therefore, as the apparatus is supplied witha pressurized gaseous medium, via said duct 19, a negative pressure isproduced in the interior 31 of second chamber 13, while a positivepressure is simultaneously built up in the interior 26 of the firstchamber 12, and therefore both the suction and the ejection means of theapparatus will be simultaneously activated, by making use of a solesupply of pressurized gaseous medium.

Inside the said second chamber 13, substantially below its-upper wall,the outlet 32 of a third vertical duct 33 is arranged. Said duct 33 isextended through the said first chamber 12, without communicationtherewith, and has its upper end portion 34 secured, preferablyscrewengaged, to the said head portion 23, in a further passage 35formed thereinto and wherein the rear end of tubular brace 11" (FIG. 5)is fit. The said negative pressure is therefore applied to the free endof suction needle 10" for drawing liquid and small sized solid matterfrom the tooth cavity, simultaneously to the flooding of said cavitywith the liquid ejected from the tip of the adjacent ejection needle10'.

From the above and by consideration of the showings of FIGS. 1 to 5inclusive, it may be readily understood that the novel constructionprovides an improved and advantageous apparatus for dental treatments ofthe type considered, that may be made use of as an implement which maybe associated to and activated by a source of pressurized air only,namely when connected to any con ventional pressurized air supply meansincluded in current dentists equipment. In addition, the apparatus isconstructed to use the components 14 to 17, of said current dentalequipment as hand-grip means and as control means thereof. The describedapparatus is further so constructed that its collector chamber 13(wherein very septic and gangrenous matter may be trapped) may bereadily fully removed for facilitating elimination and asepsis, and thatit may be easily disassembled for inspection, cleaning, asepsis, uponseparation of the essential components of the apparatus.

selectively deactivating, when required, either its ejection and itssuction circuits and means. Such valve means may be arranged in themodified head portion 23 and con structed as cone-pin type valve membershaving threaded stems 60 and 61, respectively, and button-type heads 62and 63, respectively, and adapted to plug the upper openings of ducts 27and 33, respectively, upon rotation of their button heads. Such valvemeans may be very usefully operated either for flooding a tooth cavitywith a medicinal liquid, without drawing out same, upon deactivation ofsuction circuit, i.e. by closing passage 39 by means of valve 61, andfor fully evacuating and drying a tooth cavity, by sucking out itscontents, without ejecting tion, adapted for ejection of medicinalliquid 26 in spray and its outlet in said passage 29. Such furtherpassage 64 may be closed and variably choked by a suitable valve meanshaving a threaded stem 66, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, and mayinclude a portion 65 cross-sectionally shaped, as shown in FIG. 8, forexample, adapted to impart a turbulence to the flow of air or othergaseous medium passing therethrough.

Assuming that, by means of said valve 66, for example, the said furtherpassage 64 is closed, the pressure applied in the interior 26 of thefirst chamber 12 will force the liquid in the said ducts and passages inelements 26, 29

and 11' and therefore the ejection needle 10" will eject said ejectionneedle. Such feature has been proved very advantageous for aerosoltreatment of oral cavity, which may be also applied and performed uponremoval of the paired tubular needles 10 and upon disactivation of thesuction circuit, i.e. by closing valve 61 (FIG. 6). Said latterdisactivation is not strictly necessary, but preferable, either becausethe sucking action would not be necessary during said treatments, andbecause the whole amount of pressurized air at disposal for operatingthe apparatus may be supplied to the ejection circuit for bestproduction of the atomized flow.

While the invention has been heretofore described and shown but in fewpreferred forms of embodiment thereof, it is indicated that theinvention is not limited to the very details shown, and that saiddetails should not be taken as restrictive of the invention, as it isobvious that Various modifications in design may be resorted to by thoseskilled in the art to which this invention appertains, without departingfrom the spirit and the scope of the invention, as defined in and by theappended claims.

Without further analysis, the foregoing Will so fully reveal the gist ofthis invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readilyadapt it for various applications in the dentistry and in general intherapy fields, Without omitting features that, from the standpoint ofprior art, fairly constitute characteristics of the inven tion and,therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehendedwithin the. range of equivalents thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto have protected by Letters Patent 1. An apparatus for treating toothcavities comprising, in combination, an upper head portion; firstchamber means adapted to contain a medicated liquid to be dischargedinto a tooth cavity to be treated; second chamber means adapted toreceive liquid and extraneous matter from the tooth cavity, said firstand second chamber means being arranged beneath said upper head portion,said second chamber means arranged beneath said first chamber means;means connecting said second chamber means to said first chamber means;means connecting said first chamber means to said upper head portion; amain duct formed in said head portion and having an open endcommunicating with the atmosphere; inlet means adapted to be connectedto a source of compressed air and communicating with the other end ofsaid main duct; first passage means providing communication between saidmain duct and said first chamber means so that compressed air enteringsaid main duct through said inlet means will pass into said firstchamber means to provide pressure on a liquid therein; Venturi meanslocated in said main duct downstream of said first passage means andcommunicating through said open end of said main duct with theatmosphere, said Venturi means forming in said head portion a suctionchamber; second passage means providing communication between saidsuction chamber and said second chamber means so as to provide duringflow of compressed air through said Venturi means a partial vacuum insaid second chamber means; first feed duct means having an upper portionextending substantially normal to said common axis and being formed atleast in part in said head portion and a lower portion extending in saidfirst chamber means below the level of liquid therein; second feed ductmeans having an upper portion extending substantially normal to saidcommon axis and being formed at least in part in said head portion and alower portion extending into said second chamber means; and a pair ofhollow needles fluid-tightly connected at one end thereof and carried bysaid upper portions of said first and second feed duct means,respectively, said feed ducts and said needles are located above saidfirst chamber means, said needles having free ends adapted to be locatedin the tooth cavity to be treated and said free ends being when saidapparatus is held in a substantially vertical position located at ahigher elevation than the level of liquid in said first chamber means.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said upper portions ofsaid first and second feed ducts extend substantially parallel to andrespectively at opposite sides of said main duct.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and secondchamber means are arranged removable from said portion.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said first chambermeans has a bottom wall having a downwardly extending annular flangeformed with a screw thread and said second chamber means having aperipheral Wall threadingly engaged at an upper portion thereof in saidscrew thread of said flange.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said bottom wall ofsaid chamber'means is formed with a stepped bore therethrough having alower cylindrical portion of larger diameter than the upper portionthereof so as to form a shoulder between said portions, and wherein saidsecond passage means is formed by a tube having at a lower end thereofan enlarged rim portion located in said lower portion of said bore andengaging said shoulder, said tube having an upper portion threadinglyconnected with said head portion so that said tube serves also toremovably connect said first chamber means to said head portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 869,262 10/07Pynchon 128277 1,345,606 7/20 Leonard 32-33 2,253,143 8/41 Siegel128--277 2,274,893 3/42 Freedman 32-33 2,449,497 9/ 48 McLeod 128-2762,522,261 9/50 Freedman 3233 3,018,777 1/62 Dietrich 128188 3,065,749 11/ 62 Brass Q. l28--224 FOREIGN PATENTS 942,189 9/ 48 France.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner.

1. AN APPARATUS FOR TREATING TOOTH CAVITIES COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION,AN UPPER HEAD PORTION; FIRST CHAMBER MEANS ADAPTED TO CONTAIN AMEDICATED LIQUID TO BE DISCHARGED INTO A TOOTH CAVITY TO BE TREATED;SECOND CHAMBER MEANS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE LIQUID AND EXTRANEOUS MATTERFROM THE TOOTH CAVITY, SAID FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBER MEANS BEINGARRANGED BENEATH SAID UPPER HEAD PORTION, SAID SECOND CHAMBER MEANSARRANGED BENEATH SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS; MEANS CONNECTING SAID SECONDCHAMBER MEANS TO SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS; MEANS CONNECTING SAID FIRSTCHAMBER MEANS TO SAID UPPER HEAD PORTION; A MAIN DUCT FORMED IN SAIDHEAD PORTION AND HAVING AN OPEN END COMMUNICATING WITH ATMOSPHERE; INLETMEANS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF COMPRESSED AIR ANDCOMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER END OF SAID MAIN DUCT; FIRST PASSAGE MEANSPROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID MAIN DUCT AND SAID FIRST CHAMBERMEANS SO THAT COMPRESSED AIR ENTERING SAID MAIN DUCT THROUGH SAID INLETMEANS WILL PASS INTO SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS TO PROVIDE PRESSURE ON ALIQUID THEREIN; VENTURI MEANS LOCATED IN SAID MAIN DUCT DOWNSTREAM OFSAID FIRST PASSAGE MEANS AND COMMUNICATING THROUGH SAID OPEN END OF SAIDMAIN DUCT WITH THE ATMOSPHERE, SAID VENTURI MEANS FORMING IN SAID HEADPORTION A SUCTION CHAMBER; SECOND PASSAGE MEANS PROVIDING COMMUNICATIONBETWEEN SAID SUCTION CHAMBER AND SAID SECOND CHAMBER MEANS SO AS TOPROVIDE DURING FLOW OF COMPRESSED AIR THROUGH SAID VENTURI MEANS APARTIAL VACUUM IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER MEANS; FIRST FEED DUCT MEANSHAVING AN UPPER PORTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID COMMONAXIS AND BEING FORMED AT LEAST IN PART IN SAID HEAD PORTION AND A LOWERPORTION EXTENDING IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS BELOW THE LEVEL OF LIQUIDTHEREIN; SECOND FEED DUCT MEANS HAVING AN UPPER PORTION EXTENDINGSUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID COMMON AXIS AND BEING FORMED AT LEAST INPART IN SAID HEAD PORTION AND A LOWER PORTION EXTENDING INTO SAID SECONDCHAMBER MEANS; AND A PAIR OF HOLLOW NEEDLES FLUID-TIGHTLY CONNECTED ATONE END THEREOF AND CARRIED BY SAID UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST ANDSECOND FEED DUCT MEANS, RESPECTIVELY, SAID FEED DUCTS AND SAID NEEDLSARE LOCATED ABOVE SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS, SAID NEEDLES HAVING FREEENDS ADAPTED TO BE LOCATED IN THE TOOTH CAVITY TO BE TREATED AND SAIDFREE ENDS BEING WHEN SAID APPARATUS IS HELD IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALPOSITION LOCATED AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN THE LEVEL OF LIQUID IN SAIDFIRST CHAMBER MEANS.